


Theoretically speaking

by Servena



Series: First contact AU [1]
Category: Underworld (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Discussions about Science, First Contact, First contact with vampires, Gen, Lecture, Prejudice, Science, Vampire Science, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-11-05 07:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11008494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servena/pseuds/Servena
Summary: “So, do you? Consider vampires people?”





	Theoretically speaking

She’s just shutting down her laptop as a shadow falls over the lectern. When she looks up, there’s a man standing on the other side of it, wearing a black leather coat. She remembers that he sat at the back of the lecture hall, paying attention the whole time. Her sister would describe him as ‘tall, dark and handsome’, but maybe a bit too old to rock the goth look, though it kind of works for him.

“Can I help you?” she asks as she stuffs the laptop into her bag.

“I just wanted to tell you that I very much enjoyed your talk.” He extends his hand and she takes it. His grip is firm and cool.

“Thank you. I’ve never seen you before, are you one of my students?”

“No, just someone interested in the subject. Why, are there some of your students you’ve never seen before?”

She sighs. “Quite possibly.” That makes him chuckle.

Suddenly a suspicious thought crosses her mind. “You’re not a reporter, are you?”

He laughs. “No, I’m not a reporter. I promise.”

“Good.”

“Bad experience?”

“Some. They ask a lot of questions and seem to listen very intently to my answers, but when I open the paper the next morning, the headline reads ‘Are vampires going to kill us all’? It’s exhausting.”

“It’s a touchy subject.”

“Oh yes. Some people on the Internet call me ‘The vampire apologist’. Even though I’m not trying to defend the behaviour of vampires when it endangers innocent human lives, I just think that it would get us further if we stopped calling them monsters and instead considered them people. We have no clue whether vampires are even interested in us, let alone want to ‘kill us all.’ But that doesn’t sell as many papers.”

“So, do you? Consider them people?”

She thinks about the question for a moment. “There’s still a lot we don’t know. We don’t have a lot of data and a lot of our theories are probably going to be disproved or amended within the next couple years. But right now we believe that vampires were once human and so far we don’t have evidence that speak for fundamental changes of the brain, of the conscience. So yeah, I think we should consider them people until we know more.”

“So innocent until proven guilty?”

“Something like that. We certainly should aim for ways to coexist instead of using most of our research funds to find ways to kill them.”

“I completely agree.”

She takes a look at her watch. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I need to catch my train. It was very nice to meet you.”

He smiles. “The pleasure was all mine.”

She is already on her way to the door when he calls after her, “And I wouldn’t worry about your theories. You’re less wrong than the others.”


End file.
